For Angels To Fly
by DangerousDream
Summary: Faced with a decision between what is right, and what is easy, Claire is weak. She's stronger than drugs. She doesn't need them. But even as she repeats this to herself, she doesn't know if she believes it. Can anyone save her before she falls?
1. Chapter 1

**Dedicated to Sophie, one of the awesomest people ever and my (fanfiction) partner in crime / new idea machine :P Thanks for the idea for this story (and all the others) :)**

I swung open the door to the glass house, my home. The familiar scent hit me, and the warmth of the place hugged me as I stepped inside. I was quiet shutting the front door, even though I knew my friends would hear me. They had probably been frantic. Darkness had fell over the streets like a blanket almost an hour ago, and I had walked home alone. Of course they were worried.

Myrnin and I have been working on a new system for Morganvilles which grants all protected humans in town to an alert system that tells the police when someone is being attacked. The trouble for this is getting it compact enough to fit into the bracelets, and efficient enough that the many different wavelengths won't interact with each other. That was easier said than done of course, and the work lately had been grueling; I'd been late home most nights lately, which was pretty dangerous in Morganville. I just had to keep reminding myself that t was for the greater good. It would save lives, which would be worth it in the end.

"You're late," Shane barked as I stepped through the door, "Again."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Oh yeah, as well as being being pushed to my limits every day at work, I had to deal with Shane's endless complaints when I got home. Usually, he blamed Myrnin, but occasionally, it was somehow my fault. Today was one of those night.

I loved the guy to death, but I was exhausted. Far too exhausted to deal with one of his lectures anyway. My bones ached and my eyelids felt like someone had attached weights onto them, they were so heavy. Each step was forced and lifeless as I trudged through the hall, dropping my bag at the bottom of the stairs and kicking off my converse.

"I know, Shane, and I'm sorry," I told him sincerely, before adding snarkely, "Again."

"You're cheating on me aren't you?"

"What? No!" I told him, honestly taken aback. He thought I was cheating on him? With Myrnin. Erm... No.

"I see no other explanation for why you're always home so late!" Shane growled and I sighed. I was just too tired to deal with this. I hadn't gotten to bed until 2am this morning and I was up at 6am. Tommorow was another early rise. I wasn't about to stand here and argue with him. I had to get to bed before I fell asleep right there and then.

"Shane, grow up! My work's important. If you don't like it, date someone else for God's sakes," his mouth gaped open and for a second, he stared at me blankly. He was clearly shocked that I had said that to him. I took my oppurtunity to race upstairs and run into my bedroom.

I waited a few seconds to see if he was going to follow me. I heard a few doors slam downstairs, but no footsteps coming up, so I figured he was done. I took a deep breath out and slid on my pyjamas and climbed into bed. I was absolutely exhausted.

When my head hit the pillow, however, I couldn't manage to close my eyes. My thoughts began to race at a thousand miles a minute. Did I remember to switch of the machine at Myrnin's? What was my history teacher saying again? Did I have physics tommorow, or had it been swapped for biochem?

_No, Claire, _I told myself, _none of that matters now, just go asleep. _Even as I said that, I knew it was impossible. I just had too much to do, and not enough time to do it all. I needed sleep, but I needed to get things done more. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and switched my light on, heading over to my desk. I opened my books and started to complete tasks and catch up on subjects I had missed while I was busy with Myrnin.

My mind was slow, and confused. I sighed. I couldn't sleep because I had things I needed to finish, but whenever I even _tried _to do anything, I just couldn't. Everything came out sloppy and incoherent. It was no use. I bought my head onto my desk and banged it up and down. Not enough to hurt myself, but enough to take out my frustration. It wasn't fair!

My life was a routine: get up, go to college, go to the lab, come home, sleep. I barely had time to eat anymore, and I could hardly remember the last time I truly had fun with friends, or even laughed at all. My relationship with Shane was suffering, and I had no idea what was going on with Eve and Michael because I never had time to speak to them anymore. I just needed something - sleep, a holiday, some kind of magic powers - anything that would just help me get my life back.

Little did I know, that I would get what I wanted... And worse.

**Sorry it's a little short, but it's only a first chapter so it's only just setting the scene. The real story begins in the next chapter ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

I groaned as the alarm clock rang. I swang my arm over the side of the best and fumbled aroud blindly, trying to turn it off. After a few seconds, I just sat up and turned it off. For a moment, I considered going back to bed and just forgetting about work and school, but I knew it was pointless. I was up now. I probably wouldn't get back to sleep anyway.

Last night had been another one of _those _nights. I had tossed and turned and cried and stared at the ceiling all night. I had probably gotten 4 hours of sleep at most. Usually, I'd b able to cope, but this cycle of sleepness nights had been going on for the past few weeks. I couldn't remember the last time I slept properly.

Actually, scratch that. I could remember. It was a few weeks ago. Finals were far away, work wasn't too demanding, Shane and I were going well - everything was fine. Ever since I had taken this project with Myrnin on, my life had been in shambles. Part of me wanted to drop it. I wanted so badly to turn around to Myrnin and tell him I wasn't doing this stupid bracelet thing. But the other half told me that it was for the best of Morganville. It would save lives, and if I dropped out, Myrnin wasn't going to continue it by himself, was he?

I showered quickly, not having the time to waste soaking under the hot water anymore. I slid on my jeans and a plain white t-shirt and applied some of Eve's concealer under my eyes to cover up the bags. I wiped the steamed mirror and smiled at myself. I could do this. I could.

I sighed and headed out of the bathroom. I grabbed my school bag and raced downstairs. I made my self a peice of toast, and wolfed it down quickly before checking the time. It was still only 6:30am, no one would be up for ages. Shane had a day off, Eve started at 9, and Michael only taught a few lessons in the late afternoon. They would all have another hour or two in bed. I suddenly felt very jealous. By the time I arrived at the lab, it was already 7.

"You're late." Myrnin told me simply, looking up from his book for a second to aknowledge me then returning to it.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm sick of people saying that to me lately," Myrnin looked up again, then squinted at me for a few seconds as I hung my bag up.

"Let me guess," Myrnin started, "Boy troubles?"

"You could say that,"

"What's Shame done now?" He asked, growling slightly. I didn't bother to correct him with Shane's name. Partly because I was tired, and partly because it was funny. I sighed and pulled up a stool beside Myrnin. It was slightly awkward that I was telling my boss about my boyfriend problems, but at the moment, I didn't really care.

"He's just so paranoid. If I'm even 5 minutes late home, he's convinced I'm cheating on him,"

"And I suppose that's my fault for keeping you late?" I felt myself fumbling for words for a second. I couldn't deny that it _was _Myrnin's fault, but that didn't mean that Shane had a right to be so angry about it.

"No," I paused, "Well, a little but he's just so horrible about it. I'm just so tired all the time and he knows that, but he still makes me feel like crap about it,"

"You're tired?" Myrnin asked, sounding geniunally concerned.

"All the time. I've been working so hard, I have exams coming up and I can't sleep on top of that. It's just exhausting,"

Myrnin tilted his head at me, before standing up and walking to the other side of the room. I followed him, confused as to what he was doing. Then he opened a draw that I hadn't even thought about for years and pulled out a small bag of red crystals. He slid the bag across the table to me. I picked them up and stared at them.

"You still have them?"

"Vampires get tired sometimes, too. Besides, it's good for when I want to get something done quicker," He explained. I nodded. That made sense. He looked fine, you would never be able to tell that he was taking a form of amphetamine. Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"Aren't these drugs?" I asked him.

"Yes, I suppose," he told me after a moment of consideration, "But they won't hurt if you just take one or two, and I trust you, Claire. You're smart, you know what you're doing,"

I stared down at the bag again. I wasn't so sure that I _did _know what I was doing. These were drugs. I was agreeing to _drugs. _Even if I didn't plan to take them, I knew that having them there at all meant it a thousand times likely to have a moment of weakness and get in trouble. I knew from last time, drugs are addictive and once you take them, it's hard to stop. My mind flicked back to Monica and how she had collapsed after taking one of the crystals. That could be me, or one of my friends. If the police knew I had drugs, especially the ones that nearly killed the mayor's sister, I would be in deep trouble.

But on the other hand, Myrnin sounded so sure, and for all the time that I'd known him, he'd never really been wrong. I trusted him. If he said I was capable, I believed him. Besides, I was going to burn myself out if I kept going like this. I was going to lose something important to me if I kept trying to do everything all at once, whether it be my job, my grades or my friends and boyfriend. I couldn't afford to loose any. Plus, I could take them and stash them in my bag for emergencies. I didn't have to abuse them, I could just keep them for if I _really _needed them.

No! What am I doing? Agreeing to take drugs was crazy at best. I'm tired, and my logical processing abilities aren't what they normally are. That was the only reason I even contemplated it. Normally I'd say no to drugs without a second thought. I'm just tired.

"No," I said firmly, more for my reassurance than Myrnin's as I pushed the bag across the table and away from me, "No thanks, I can't afford to get involved with drugs," Myrnin gave me a agreeing nod. He even looked slightly proud that I had said no.

"Your choice. You're stronger than I, that is for sure," He said, sighing and sliding the bag back into the draw, "If you change your mind, you can message me on that teledevice thingy you youngs one are so engrossed with,"

"A phone?"

"Yes, that's it," I laughed and stood up, following Myrnin across the room. I was stronger than drugs. I didn't need them. But even as I repeated those mantras to myself, I couldn't quite believe them.


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry if the format/actual writing for this chapter is awful. I'm writing on my tablet since my laptop completely gave up on me... I am not even amused right now but I wanted to upload this anyway.**

It was until later that evening that I began to crack. I had come home from the lab and went straight to my room in attempt to get some sleep so I wouldn't be so exhausted tomorrow. Well, that was the idea at least. I'd been about to fall asleep on the journey home, tripping over my feet and walking sloppily. I couldn't wait to finally get home so I could fall asleep. But now I was here, it wasn't happening. Staring blankly at the ceiling, I felt a silent, frustrated tear drop onto my cheek. _Damnit, _I thought, _I just want a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, is that too much to ask for?_

Sounds of laughters coming from down stairs drifted into my room like a poison. They were all downstairs having dinner and laughing like friends should be, and here I was, trying to fall asleep at 7 o'clock and actually get a good night's sleep for once. I let out a sob and rolled over onto my side, heaving the blanket up and over my head so I was completely cocooned in it and surrounded in darkness.

I gave a sigh of relief and exhaled deeply. This position was perfect. I began to feel drowsy very quickly as I felt sleep start to overcome me. My breaths got deeper and more regular and my mind started slowly fading to black. All thoughts were slipping away, now. No strained relationships, no crazy boss, no Monica and the monickettes, no school, no chemistry exam...

Wait! I had a chemistry exam to revise for. I literally _had_ done no revision at all. Usually, I might have winged it (or made more prepared, I mentally added) but I had already missed pretty much a whole topic when I was in Boston so I really couldn't afford to skip revising. I growled at the thought of getting out of bed now I was finally comfortable. I hadn't slept for days and when I finally did, I had to get up to revise? It isn't fair. Even so, I swung my legs lazily of the bed and zombie-walked over to the desk where my books where laying.

If I fell asleep soon, I'd be okay. Surely I could revise _and_ get a good night's sleep? I sighed. Yeah, fat chance of that.

I flung open the books and got straight to work. The faster I got this finished, the faster I could sleep. I skimmed through the books and highlighted the stuff that I thought I would definitely need to know. I wasn't looking for the highest mark on this test, I just had to pass. After a while, I heard Michael and Eve go to bed. Shane followed shortly after. I wanted to go to his room and curl up into him but I had to get this work done.

After what felt like forever, I sighed and leaned back on my chair. I had completed most of the syllabus, at last. I probably knew enough to pass, anyway. I flicked open the next page to the end of topic revision test. I contemplated doing it for a while before deciding that I probably should and getting out a pen and paper and writing down the answers. The first 4 or 5 questions were easy and I smiled to myself while going through them. I could do this. Then I looked onto the next question and my mind went blank. After a few seconds of blind panic, I skipped and went straight onto the next one. I didn't know that one either. i stared at them blankly for a few seconds. I had no idea.

The thought of having to go through them all again and re-cover all the topics made me want to cry. After a few seconds, I slammed the book shut and climbed back into bed. I tossed and turned for a while, the humid Texas night making the room sticky and horrible. Eventually, I burst into sobs. I was exhausted but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep properly tonight, if at all. I was so exhausted, I was going to end up failing all my classes at this rate.

My eyes flicked over to my phone which lay on the bedside cabinet. In my rush to go asleep, I hadn't plugged it in but it was still charged. Myrnin's offer began to replay in my head. I shook it off quickly and lied back down. I wouldn't do drugs I wouldn't. But as. I turned onto my back to make patterns in the ceiling, all I could think about was the crystals.

They couldn't be so bad, surely? I mean, they weren't exactly great for you, but I was sure they wouldn't hurt me too badly. Images of Monica's eyes rolling back filled my head. No. That wouldn't happen to me. I'd used them before and been fine. It would be fine. It was only for a little energy boost anyway and I would stop using them as soon as my sleeping schedule was reinstated and my workload wasn't as heavy. Before I could change my mind, I grabbed my phone and clicked a few buttons, sending Myrnin a text: I'll come and get the crystals in the morning...

**OMG, so I know it's a little short but I'm having so many problems trying to keep the format and bold/italics the same when I'm typing it up on my iPad. Sorry again, but I promise that the next few chapters will be more dramatic and will be longer. Please review and follow/fave, it means the world to me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**All credit for this chapter goes to Sophie for being an absolute genius and for being so damn inspiring and motivating me to write! You go girl :D**

I awoke the next morning feel as groggy and tired as I did the night before. I'd been asleep, but it felt like I hadn't. My eyes were droopy and my legs felt weak as. I swung them over the bed. I went straight to the bathroom, feeling zombie-like and splashed ice cold water onto my face. It helped slightly, but not much.

I slumped downstairs, feeling as though the weight of the world rested on my shoulders. I went straight into the kitchen where all my friends were sitting around a table, laughing and waiting for the bacon to finish cooking. I grabbed an apple and bit into it lazily. I literally didn't have enough energy to eat.

"You're up early today," Eve noticed and I froze for a second not knowing how to reply. I was up early to go and see Myrnin before school, but that would be too difficult and risky to explain.

"The teacher wants to give us our results today, so we have to go early," I burst out, surprised at how natural the lie slipped from my tongue. I guess months of 'I'm okay, really' payed off. Michael and Shane seemed to buy it but Eve seemed suspicious.

"Wasn't that only due in today?" She asked and I swore inwardly. Why was she so damn observant?

"Different class," I said, shaking her off. I threw the apple away and threw my backpack over my shoulder. I gave Shane a quick kiss goodbye and left before Eve could push it any further. The sun was burning down on me already and I wondered if today would be one of the hottest days of the year, or if the real reason I had sweaty palms was for a totally different reason.

I was about to agree to taking drugs, I noted to myself. It didn't quite seem real: just like when you say a word so many times, it begins to sound like a random mix of jumbled up letters. Even so, I took a deep sigh as I knocked on the door of the lab. Myrnin opened it quickly, clearly expecting me. He ushered me inside and shut the door behind him. I felt my heart pound. If Myrnin was afraid of being found out, then imagine what the repercussions of getting caught with the crystals would be for me. The desperate part of my brain won over, however and I felt myself shaking away all logical thoughts.

He pressed a bag of small red crystals into my hand. I stared into them glassily. This was it. This would change everything. It would stop me being so tired and give me my life back, all I had to do was take a few. There was enough in the bag to last me a week at least. That was plenty of time to sort everything out.

"Claire," Myrnin called, snapping me out of my daze, "Are you even listening?"

"Of course," I said, feeling my heart race.

"Your heart is beating faster than normal. You're lying," I wasn't sure the fact that he could hear my heartbeat would ever _not_ be creepy. Myrnin shook his head, "I'm not going to repeat myself, Claire. Just... Be careful, okay. Don't take too much of it in a short space of time. That's strong stuff you're holding and you've seen firsthand what potential effects it can have on humans."

I felt a shiver run up spin at the memory of Monica after taking the crystals. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and her whole body was convulsing. She was limp and lifeless. I remember the fear coursing my veins. I thought I'd killed her. I feel my heart pound at the idea that it could have been me.

Myrnin's warning didn't go unnoticed, that was for sure.

"I will," I confirmed, stuffing the crystals in the back of my bag. I bowed my head, "Thank you. Myrnin,"

He shook his head, "Don't thank me, Claire. What I'm doing is wronging you. Now go, or you'll be late," He ushered me out of the door and into the street. He was right, I _was_ going to be late if I didn't hurry.

The crystals felt like they were burning a hole in the back pocket of my bag. They felt like they were weighing me down and I couldn't help but wonder if I was making a huge mistake. After all, they were addictive. Who knew if I'd be able to stop? I'd almost got addicted before. If it hadn't of been for Shane (and Monica, although I didn't want to admit that she helped me in any way), I might have carried on taking them...

I shook those thoughts out of my head and I reached class. I'd go for as long as I could without taking them and if things got really bad, I'd just have a few. Maybe half a dose. I could stop myself from having another one, I knew I could. It was only an emergency kind of thing, anyway.

_It wasn't even a big deal._

**I know it's really short but it's mock exam week and I'm failing most subjects so I kind of need to really try and get my head down. Sorry for that, but I will make next chapter a little longer to make up for it.**

**Also, I know we're four chapters in and Claire hasn't even actually taken any drugs. Well, there's a reason for that. I don't really think that taking drugs would be something that anyone would decide just out of the blue, especially a character like Claire. It's pretty serious stuff, and it would have to be something they considered for a long time before doing for it work properly. But rest assured that after the next chapter, things get dramatic, and quickly.**

**I was also want to say that Claire's views are not nessecarily my own. Due to the nature of the story, Claire will have a rose-tinted view of drugs as she's trying to convince herself that they're okay. In reality, it's quite the opposite and somewhere deep down, Claire knows that and that's why she's particularly jumpy around Eve and is questioning it a lot.**

**Anyway, this was a really long author's note but hey ho! Again, sorry for the shortness. I will make it up! I swear.**


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